CLOWNS WITHOUT BORDERS PRESENTATION OF STANDARD FRAMEWORK FOR INTERVENTION

Transcription

1 CLOWNS WITHOUT BORDERS PRESENTATION OF STANDARD FRAMEWORK FOR INTERVENTION Justification and Mission CWB was created in 1993 as a spontaneous, immediate response to the tremendous psychological and emotional pain caused by the war in the former Yugoslavia on the civilian population, and especially on children. It was the boys and girls in a Croatian school who used the Internet to contact another school in Barcelona and ask them for clown shows as a way to support them in the situation they were living through. It was then that CWB started up with a clear calling: To make the boys and girls who are victims of wars laugh, especially refugee children. Starting out with this essential objective, other activities may arise that are related with the circus and clowns, such as workshops or other activities in various formats, which consist of offering support to boys and girls or youths, but also to their families, and especially mothers. In any case, due to our nature and ability to take action, we always place a priority on holding shows in the aforementioned contexts. Our shows are the key to justifying any later activity, because they offer a clear viewpoint of what the goal might be, while at the same time they are the essence of our organization and a gift which international agencies are acknowledging more and more as a way to stir people at an emotional level. The idea is to show a kind face to the children suffering from conflicts, an experience which may offset, even if just in a small way, the brutality of the experiences they have lived through, while at the same time, through this emotional sharing we attempt to reinforce the idea of closeness and belonging to mankind as a group itself. In recent years, we have verified that our work in the psychological and informal educational realms have been viewed very positively in different sectors. Entities and NGOs such as the UNHCR, UNRWA, Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Doctors of the World and other similar entities have increased their requests for our interventions. 1

2 Necessary Resources Our organization performs its activities through professional staff members who do their work in the world of the performing arts, and who provide their knowledge and work free of charge when we ask them to, under the sole conditions of offering their shows to needy children, adjusting their schedules and not remaining on for stays of more than one month. This makes it possible for our organization to offer high-quality performances at a very economical cost, a cost which basically consists of paying travel expenses, domestic transportation, lodging and food for our human resources. Using our financing resources, we are in a situation in which we can offer our work in a manner entirely free of charge and with no costs to the agencies of the United Nations which work with refugee children, displaced children and those affected by situations of conflict. And it is in this way that we have often been working lately with the UNHCR, UNRWA and UNICEF. The only support we request is identification of the beneficiary population, giving notice to the audience and places to perform. However, in certain locations of greater social complexity, we are supported with security for personnel (e.g., UNRWA in Gaza or UNICEF in Cité Soleil, Haiti). Complementary Activities In addition to putting on shows which have an effect on psychological factors, our organization works to reinforce formal education in critical situations, oftentimes related with chronic conflicts and refugee populations. Educational activities are provided which lend support to entities like the UNHCR, to orient their school attendance or sensitization campaigns. More specifically, the idea is to take the utmost advantage of the potential which clowns have among children and youths as an audience, so as to convey key messages. Example of this type include the project carried out in Damascus, Syria in 2007 along with the UNHCR and UNICEF to strengthen the impact of the Back-to-School campaign for Iraqi refugee children, or the project carried out in Kosovo in 1999 with Save The Children, in which, through the field of education, our performers not only enriched extracurricular activities, but also cooperated to identify safe places for children free of UXO (unexploded ordnance), booby-traps or anti-personal mines. Universal Nature of Comedy as a Language The performing arts are a universal language without borders that relates people and societies in an emotional, intelligent and creative way. This is why CWB plays a basic role that promotes mutual understanding, peace among peoples and respect for others. Clowns Without Borders uses the outlook and work method of male and female clowns to spread positive values and the value of laughter to populations in need. At present, clowns offer diverse, important and essential values to society so as to build a world with greater justice between us all. Given their appearance and way of being, which is fresh and universal, clowns can come closer to people excluded by this unfair society. They feel closer to boys and girls, women, the disabled, those who are different Their ability to generate empathy allows them to feel great complicity with the feelings and emotions of those with silenced voices, becoming a spokesperson for them. Clowns have a big heart and a way of acting which is very appealing to everybody. The clown is a character filled with humanity. The comical performance of clowns is based on the counterpoint between cause and effect, forming a challenge against logic that works very efficiently and effectively through gestures, with no need for large stage structures or many technical devices. It is a form of comedy that reaches out to all audiences with kindness. There are universal sketches related with ideas understandable by all of mankind, because they speak of topics that we all share culturally. 2

3 Ethical Code CWB s mission is pursued in accordance with the fundamental principles that guide the organization s work, which are: independence from any power or ideology, impartiality and non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion or political ideology. Likewise, we work on a foundation of full respect for Human Rights, Children s Rights and the Ethical Code of NGOs in the Spanish State. Similarly, CWB has its own Ethical Code referring to the conduct of the clowns and performers who work in Clowns Without Borders projects, comprising a series of basic ethical rules that they must all honor. Ethical Code of Clowns Without Borders Humanism: The clown or performer that works with CWB will have the fundamental objective of improving the situation of children who live in crisis situations of any type (related to war, natural disasters, social inequality, etc.) anywhere in the world Impartiality: The main recipients of the projects are children who are living in crisis situations; at the time when offering his or her work, the clown will make no distinctions amongst them on the basis of race, age, religion, sex, culture, social status or any other differential characteristic Volunteering: The clowns/performers will receive no sort of economic compensation for their activities provided within the projects unless, as an exception, the time period of their travel on-site makes it necessary to do so In terms of their public image, the performers/clowns must clearly and at all times separate their professional commercial activity from the humanitarian task, and not use the latter as a decorative feature or a form of dissemination or promotion of their professional career Non-indoctrination: The performer/clown must not use his or her activity to impose personal points of view, whatever they may be, upon the beneficiary populations of the projects. They will limit themselves to sharing the performance activity. They must not attempt to indoctrinate these populations and must flee from all types of evangelical activity or activities to save the beneficiaries, and must simply contribute their work Cultural Respect: The performers/clowns will take the utmost precautions in terms of the contents of their performances so as not to offend the sensitivity of the population for which they are acting, taking into account that population s cultural characteristics and the delicate situations in which these populations are living Denunciation: In their work, the clowns share and find themselves in difficult and complex situations, and sometimes they become exceptional witnesses and spokespersons who denounce all of the unfair situations. Their work does not come to an end when they go home, but rather continues with this task of denunciation, always to the extent possible We are clowns and performers, and it is in the field, in the very holding of our shows and in the contact with our audience, that we experience the validity of our action and reaffirm it We seek to ensure that the name, logo and identity of Clowns Without Borders is not used as a vehicle for receiving compensation With respect to the search for funds and financing, we monitor the ethical values of our counterparts and donors, and we do not accept companies which do not respect human rights as donors. Structure Clowns Without Borders possesses a physical structure with its headquarters in Barcelona, and local offices in Zaragoza and Madrid. The Department of Operations gathers information on humanitarian emergency situations and activates all the means necessary; it makes plans, recruits performers, sets up the logistics and negotiates with other organizations. In some cases, it also performs scouting directly or through entity collaborators. After this, it starts up, executed and evaluates the entity s humanitarian activities. Starting out with the idea that CWB believes in the power held by the performing arts, especially the values of clowns, the foundational objective and our mission is that of improving the emotional and psychological status of the populations, especially amongst boys and girls who live in emergency areas due to natural, political and/or social exclusion-related causes. At the same time, we attempt to increase awareness within our society about the situation of these populations, for whom we are working. The entity puts on comedy shows which, in and of themselves, already have a regenerating impact, but it also includes mental health projects in its work, along with other entities teams in the field (Bosnia and Kosovo, 1999; Pisco, Peru; Syria-Iraq, Palestine-Gaza ). In certain cases, children s activities are held, as well as workshops for introducing circus dynamics and support for direction and production given to companies made up of refugees or victims of catastrophes or conflicts. The formation of the organizational structure in the field depends on different factors. The logistics and execution of activities are the responsibility of the organization, whereas other health care and humanitarian organizations propose the program of activities, ask for the conveyance of specific messages and, in some cases, handle topics involving security. 3

4 Fields of Activity Our task within the humanitarian realm is based on two clear foundations: the health care sector and the field of education. Health Care: Intervention after a natural catastrophe, as well as conflict. Intervention with the objective of providing psychological support to populations that fall victim to natural disasters, taking advantage of the impact created by a team of clowns and including messages from other entities related with other aspects of the humanitarian intervention, which might include health care, topics related to food, shelter or others. Education: Intervention in favor of refugees who are victims of a conflict. The objective is based on providing psychological support to the refugees, through shows which offer happiness and laughter, another kinder side of mankind, as well as promoting self-esteem through various workshops and activities. Giving the opportunity to the recipients to take part in activities which, by stimulating the psycho-motricity of the circus arts themselves and the comical body language of clowns, strengthen their self-control and their ability to run their lives and control their bodies; creating small life alternatives; taking advantage of and improving their leisure time; promoting relationships amongst them; strengthening their ties with the community; finding small paths for exploration, etc. It is very important to be able to offer these spaces to children and youths in order to make the most of the presence of the clowns, performers and professionals of circus arts on-site, creating forms of mutual learning and sharing with communities. Standard Project The intention is to send a team of professional performers who put on comical shows and circus performances for the population which has fallen victim to a catastrophe or conflict, preferably boys and girls. Included in these shows are practical messages related with the assistance priorities at that moment. Description of Objectives (General and Specific) Description of Objectives (General and Specific) General Objective (GO) Statement of GO: Providing psychological support to populations which fall victim to conflicts or natural catastrophes through circus and clown activities based on universal comedy, happiness, human values and/or other specific features which the specific context makes necessary. Objectively verifiable indicators: Sources of verification: - Size of audience attending the shows - Audience reaction to the shows - Assessment of humanitarian agencies related with - Graphic materials in photos or video - Interviews with responsible persons from the humanitarian agencies related with the project the messages 4

5 Specific Objective(s) (SO s) Statement of SO 1: Putting on comedy shows based on circus and clown dynamics to convey a positive, relativized, diversified viewpoint of the human factor and to integrate practical messages related with immediate needs. Objectively verifiable indicators: Sources of verification: - Number of shows held x attending audience - Number of messages conveyed to the audience - Certificates that shows were given - Documents of cooperation with humanitarian entities on-site, where the messages to be conveyed are defined Activities to carry out, expected results and indicators for measuring results Statement of A1: Comical clown and circus shows. Description: Activities intended for audiences of all ages, but designed for children, in a mainly gesture-based language, given by a group of performers with basic sound equipment and an approximate duration of one hour or one hour and a half. Result for which the activity is intended: The population s psychological state will have improved, and messages of immediate utility will have been conveyed in relation with topics involving health, to at least 5,000 people in an approximate time span of 30 days. Necessary resources: 1. Sound equipment and show supplies 2. 4 professional performers acting as volunteers x 25 days Approximate economic cost: 14,110 Expected Results (R s) 3. International transportation for the 4 performers 4. Lodging for the 4 performers for 25 days 5. Domestic transportation for the group 6. Costs of visas, vaccines and other items 7. Communication via telephone or Internet 8. Translator/local logistics for 20 days Statement of R1: The psychological state of the population will have improved, and immediately useful messages related with health topics will have been conveyed, to at least 5,000 people in an approximate time of 30 days. SO which this result targets: SO1 Objectively verifiable indicators: Sources of verification: - An audience of at least 5,000 people will have been served. - At least two functional and practical messages related with the needs set by solvent humanitarian agencies will have been conveyed. - At least 100 photos will have been taken, and at least 60 minutes of video with images of the shows with the contents and the audience s reaction. - Certificates that shows were given validated by the counterpart (international or local agency), specifying the name of the performers, the duration of the show, the place held, the attending audience and date - Documents from humanitarian agencies that work in the catastrophe or conflict and define a communication task related with the population s situation. - Interview with the persons responsible at the humanitarian agencies that have defined the tasks, or documents for assessment of the execution of these tasks. - Graphic materials and/or video in which on can see the show s contents, the conveyance of messages and the audience s reaction to some of the performances (not all). 5

6 Necessary resources (including human and material resources): -Supplies for shows. -Sound equipment. -Group of 4 professional performers who work as volunteers (the attempt will be made always to include female clowns). -Rental of one vehicle. -Local translator / logistics. Expected Impact on the Target Group: It is expected to improve the psychological situation, provide positive references to children, show support beyond the material from an emotional focus to the affected population, and to provide, if the counterpart deems it necessary to do so, the conveyance of certain important, urgent messages to the population served. Evaluation of the Overall Impact of the Intervention on the Context as a Whole: Despite the fact that our entity does not perform large-scale interventions, it is true that the impact of its activities in the long to medium term, no matter how small they may be, can have a certain degree of relevance and add to or take away from the full ensemble of interventions on-site, and definitively on the general context. Up to now, the organization had never used specific instruments for evaluation of the overall impact. However, it is in the year of 2008 that the Do No Harm tool was first integrated on a gradual basis, attempting to ensure that external evaluations are taken into account. In principle we believe that Do No Harm is a tool adapted to our humanitarian aid dimension. Since the outset, we have thought that the ideal strategy is that of including indicators related with the tool closest to our size. We believe that the main starting point consists of reinforcing the analysis of the regional and local context so as to truly understand how the problems which uphold conflict are structured, and by doing so to better prevent those attitudes which may reinforce the local relationships or enablers for peace, or weaken dividing features or sources of tension, or at least not to contribute to worsening things by having a negative effect on one factor or another. Because of this, an internal analysis protocol has been developed that could be used in external or internal evaluations. Added to the protocol will be a checklist which shows certain indicators: how, where and why the aid is offered; who makes up the internal and external teams; what local suppliers are used; who the beneficiaries are; what criteria they were selected with; what reason is the cause of the aid for the beneficiaries; whether there is any economic transfer; whether any group is excluded and the reasons why, etc. All of these factors will be verified with the connectors and dividers detected in order to see how the intervention can have a negative or positive effect, and if the study facilitates the discovery of potentially beneficial activities to strengthen the local capacities for peace. The resources transferred will be analyzed (where applicable) so as to evaluate where they go and the impact they may have, as well as the implicit ethical messages that our team provides with their intervention methods and their conduct. These evaluations must lead us to reconsider and reformulate certain aspects, on the basis of what is detected (damage to connectors or dividers, leaving out potential possibilities for strengthening connectors or weakening dividers). And in accordance with the guidelines of the DNH, we will once again verify the impact of the new reformulation. We will continue to work towards including it gradually and to improve our work. Protection of the Beneficiary Population In the case of Clowns Without Borders and given the characteristics of our interventions (very short duration and presence in a specific place), we can say that it is an aspect which does not have a relevant significance. The presence of CWB volunteers may act as a factor of dissuasion in certain situations, but unfortunately the duration of our stays is very short. However, our volunteers are instructed to communicate any irregularity related with the violation of rights to specialized entities such as the UNHCR, UNICEF, Save The Children or Doctors Without Borders, or in more complex cases to do so to the organization s headquarters, because the problem is managed from Barcelona. 6

7 Identification of the Beneficiary Population The beneficiary population is identified, to a great extent, on the basis of information provided by different agencies in different cases. In the case of refugees, the UNHCR or UNRWA are our references. In the case of natural catastrophe, the target population is defined on the basis of entities which specialize in this type of response (international health care entities or other humanitarian agencies). In certain cases, work is performed with the national Red Cross or Red Crescent, or with emergency coordinators or local civil protection entities, but the attempt is made to cross-reference information using criteria with acknowledged international agencies. Tracking of Activities Tracking is performed by the project manager in Barcelona. This is the person who detects the need for intervention, performs planning, recruits the performers and sets up the logistics. This person provides briefing for all of the volunteers who will be traveling, including a detailed explanation of how the project works, the objectives, expected results and operational details. In coordination with the responsible parties from other organizations related with the activity, this person tracks the intervention and reaches the appropriate decisions, traveling to the site if necessary. The logical framework is followed for the evaluation, which is carried out conjointly with the Project Committee, made up of members of the Association s Board of Directors, with the volunteers who have carried out the activity and the Project Manager. Each group of performers drafts a joint report, as well as an individual report. Contacts: Barcelona: c/ Roser, 74 Bajos Barcelona Tel: Mobile: operaciones@clowns.org 7